Working from Home

Make your bed and change into work clothes

Sounds simple right? Makes a big difference, your mum will be proud. Get the bed tidied up and put on your work clothes to feel like you are transitioning from home to work. Come on now, no jim-jams on the Zoom presentation. Get those company clothes on.

Create a “work zone” at home

It can be quite easy to be distracted when working from home so it’s important to try and create an area where you can be undisturbed and free from distraction. This will help you associate a “work zone” at home and will help with your productivity and focus. With the school closures this may be of more challenge for some of us but we will find a way to get through!

 Structure your day

When you’re in the office our day is broken up with meetings, toilet breaks, chats with colleagues. This helps divide the day up and create natural chunks of time. In contrast, a day at home can be very unstructured and it’s important to think about structuring your day effectively. It is recommended that working in 45-60 minute chunks of focused work followed by a short break can be effective for productivity and concentration levels.

 Don’t forget to take breaks

Whilst you are at home to work it is also important to remember that time away from your PC or laptop is important and healthy. Short breaks will help you return to your desk feeling refreshed and more productive for the rest of the day. Try to get some fresh air (albeit being mindful of the social distancing recommendations)

Eat healthily and drink plenty of water

It’s important to make sure you make time to eat proper meals and drink water regularly, rather than snacking continuously throughout the day and then crashing in a sugar slump at 3pm.

Manage distractions

When you start working in a new environment (especially a very familiar one) it can be easy to let yourself get distracted. Distractions will be different for everyone. It’s important to identify and avoid yours!

Be connected

Ensure you keep up social interaction – if you have been used to working in a busy and noisy office for months/years, the sudden change to a much quieter environment can be challenging. Arrange to dial in to speak with your line manager each morning and arrange times to speak with the rest of your team and colleagues.